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Process vs. Product

Since I am away from the computer for a while, I’m running a few favorite, previously published posts. This one originally ran on July 16, 2010, but is modified for today’s post.˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚

Is it possible to lust after another person’s finished quilt? Yes, quite possibly. Definitely. For sure. The quilt shown above uses the Castle Peeps line, and was put together by Elizabeth Hartman, of Oh! Fransson. I purchased the blue colorway of this line this summer and before I close out my sewing blitz and focus on The Job, I’m dying to throw together one more quilt. This design has inspired me.

There’s been a lot of talk on the blogosphere about the issue of production in quilting, and I’m here to add my .02. Jennifer, of “That Girl. . . That Quilt,” has written a whole series of her thoughts about “quilting without obligations.” They seem to be a reaction to the feeling that quilting is all about production, rather than about the process. This is an age-old discussion and is found in other corners of the creative universe.

When I was an undergrad, working in the black and white photo lab, this idea–process vs. product–was discussed constantly. To give you a flavor of what our conversations sounded like, as we blew dust specks off of our negatives and worked at creating “art,” have a listen to the little clip below. Yes, it’s dense, but give it a go.

I think his point that when we focus on product, we may miss other connections that may arise from the creative process is valid, but there are times when product is not the Big Evil. Sometimes I just want to get something done, speaking of quilts and quilting. Sometimes I just want to quickly make up a quilt in a fabric line because I want to see that on my bed. I’m not interested in being drawn into the process of the quilt–I just want to lay down under it. Or hang it up on the wall. Or because the process has already happened in my mind, in thinking about it at the back of my brain when I couldn’t get to the sewing machine for one reason or another.

I read a lot of blogs, like the rest of you, and many of them are designed as advertising. The quilt artists/makers have been involved in the process of their art and designed fabric/patterns/quilts that they need to sell in order to make their living. Many blogs are tied to online quilt shops. These are valuable places for me to go and get my ideas, be exposed to new fabrics, enjoy the fruits, if you will, of other people’s labors all before I take up my rotary cutter to slice into some fabric. I enjoy these blogs, love reading them, admire the work. But I do not ever confuse what they are doing–earning a living–with what I am doing. Some other blogs have “taken the process pledge,” and try to put out on their blogs how they arrived at the journey’s end. This is a valuable resource for us as quilters when it truly involves process, and not just a “how-to” tutorial (although I like those too).

It seems to me that there is enough room in this quilting universe that we can quilt what we want to, blog when we want to, go off on vacation when we want to, work (when we have to) that we don’t need to compete. Commercial blogs? Non-commercial blogs? They are resources for us all to glean from.

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3 thoughts on “Process vs. Product”

Extremely well put. While I have gleaned a huge amount of inspiration from seeing other people’s work, it has also made me feel completely guilty that I don’t have that kind of output, I don’t have that kind of creativity (well, sometimes, but not consistently), I usually don’t even quilt my own quilts–I send them out for someone else to do it. I am so done with the guilt. Sometimes I want to spend the time and enjoy the process, sometimes I just want to sew something super quick, just because. This was very well written. Thanks!

Your posts are always so meaty. I enjoy reading them. I’m not a real talker. I prefer to post pics and let them do the talking. I suppose that’s ok too. I love sewing and posting my makes, but I don’t want to ever HAVE to blog. Too much pressure….

Interesting content to get us thinking! I am undoubtedly more process-oriented, so much so that I often don’t even do anything with the product of my energy–quilts, weaving, jewelry, just get put away. It’s really about the making for me.

Create

"The creative act is not an act of creation in the sense of the Old Testament. It does not create something out of nothing: it uncovers, selects, reshuffles, combines, synthesizes already existing facts, ideas, faculties, skills." ~Arthur Koestler